Bangkok

Do you tip in Thailand restaurants?

US, land 6 Sep. I do not want to stiff anyone. I also do not want to pay 10% twice because the bill already has ++.

Read the receipt first

Place	Usual	Extra cash
Street stall / local shop	No percentage culture	Round up if you want. Not a 20% rule
Hotel / mall restaurant, menu shows ++	Service charge (often ~10%) plus VAT (commonly 7%)	Do not add another US-style 15% on top without looking
Bill says nett	Already included	Optional small note for someone who actually helped
Grab Food / app	The app line is not a Thai legal tip	Follow the screen; do not invent a second envelope

There is no national “you must tip 10%” law. Service charge is a venue line. VAT is tax. They are not the same as a US tip. Check the paper.

Hotel breakfast or a stall, and if the menu had ++.

Food

11 comments

Mint Saelim

Stall: no. Hotel restaurant: look for service charge. If ++ is on the menu, the 10% is already in the maths. I do not leave another 15% as a personality.

17d

Ploy

Round up on a stall if the number is awkward. That is it. Do not export New York onto a boat-noodle shop.

17d

Hannah Miles

I check the bill. If service is there, I pay the paper. A small extra for someone who actually carried bags is optional, not a rule.

17d

Nate Grant

US habit is the trap. I would rather over-read the receipt than under-read it and double-pay.

17d

Helen Marsh

Family hotel breakfast: ++ is common. I am not tipping 20% on top of that with two kids and a toaster.

16d

Dan Okafor

Tight budget: the 10% on a mall meal is already the line item. Street food does not need a percentage sermon.

16d

Claire Dunn

I will look for ++ on the menu. If I cannot see it, I will ask before I order, not after a surprise bill.

16d

Yuki Mori

Grab Food: the app is the app. I would not add a cash envelope on the soi because a US blog said to.

16d

James Collingwood

VAT 7% is tax. Service charge is the venue. Neither is a US tip. Read the three lines. I still round up on a stall.

16d

Tess de Vries

I have a booking. I have not eaten a hotel breakfast yet. I will read the receipt. That is the whole plan.

16d

Kit Rattana

Same split in Chiang Mai. Nimman cafe with ++ vs a stall on the moat. The receipt is the product.

16d

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